This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. Especially given that 65% of Americans support making election day a national holiday and 43% of voters already live in one of the 19 states with some form of voting holiday. Over 60 court cases reviewed the evidence and judgesappointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents alikereached the same conclusion: there was no compelling evidence of fraud. [10][11]] Congress would shore up the peoples right to vote while guaranteeing the time to engage in this fundamental right. Election Day is a US State Holiday observed on several states on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every even-numbered year. 4. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. There is a "need to make voting more accessible, to make it more of a civic duty, to make sure that people don't have to choose between their job and their ability to cast the ballot are issues that are more prominent today than ever before," she told CBS News. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. By comparison,. These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. Countries which permit absentee ballots, early ballots or postal votes to be cast by mail before the election avoid the problem altogether by enabling voters to vote on a day that is more convenient to them. In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Granderson: Why aren't Democrats making election day a state holiday [31] Same-day registration boosts turnout by 5%, and universal implementation of it would have added as many as 4.8 million voters in the 2016 election, according to Danielle Root, JD, and Liz Kennedy, JD, from the Center for American Progress. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM OK, so why Tuesday? 2. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. Turning Election Day into a national holiday would instill a sense of pride in all citizens, knowing they have the ability to cast a ballot regardless of work. Delaware Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Montana New Jersey New York Ohio Puerto Rico Virginia West Virginia While Tuesdays have been custom for elections in the United States, Sunday is the day of. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. [16]. It commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a reverend and civil . Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. Should election day in the United States be made a national holiday Issues also arise when a persons polling place is far from their workplace or when there are long lines to vote during peak times like in the morning before work or in the evening after work. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. While making Election Day a national holiday or moving it to the weekend would by no means be a cure-all, it could be used in conjunction with other strategies like automatic voter registration (nearly 87% of registered voters participated in the 2016 election), restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated people and removing other barriers such as voter ID requirements and voter roll purges that often disenfranchise people of color. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. However, the issues vary among different demographic groups. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? Operated 24:7 through the week. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. But while experts say such a scheme is unlikely to fly in the US, making it easier for people to vote would appear to be a step in the right direction. Interestingly, 27 of the 36 countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (made up largely of advanced democracies) conduct their national elections on the weekend. This article was published more than10 years ago. Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN All 435 representatives were up for re-election, as well as a third ofsenators, and countless elections for governors, mayors, state legislators, and local government across the country. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Russia's national holiday only goes back to 1992, when the Russian Federation was founded. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . About 54 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential contest between Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, according to the Pew Research Center. It would take an act of Congress to make Election Day a national holiday, and there is currently a bill proposing to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday before a special committee. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. [23], Annie McDonald, Editor of the Berkeley Public Policy Journal, noted that the workers who are least likely to get paid holidays are those who already have less of a voice in the political process: Americans working in retail, hospitality, and service jobs, for example, would most likely not receive the benefit of a paid holiday to vote. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation.Many countries commemorate their independence from a colonial empire.. Not all countries mark independence as a national holiday. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. 12, 2019, Ceylan Pumphrey, "Do Businesses Have to Give Federal Holidays Like Presidents Day Off?, blogs.findlaw.com, Feb. 14, 2018, Department of Labor, "Holiday Pay, dol.gov (accessed Sep. 23, 2019), Peggy Emch, "Is Holiday Pay Required by Law?, timesheets.com, 2013, Fast Casual, "Study: Why Hourly Workers Forced to Work Multiple Jobs, fastcasual.com, Apr. Think about it. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Why Election Day Should Be A National Holiday In America More people would vote if they had more time to cast their ballots Furthermore, celebrating our democracy publicly would send the message that we value each others citizenship as much as we value honoring past presidents. [13], Donald Green, PhD, Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, found that nonpartisan community parties celebrating Election Day in 2005, 2006, and 2016 increased voter participation between 2.6 percentage points and about 4 percentage points. In a number of states, polling places have been closed in minority neighborhoods, which has created long lines and tremendous inconvenience for affected votersinconvenience with a cost, especially for those paid hourly wages. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. So when faced with choices like having to take unpaid time off work to vote, waking at the wee hours of the morning to vote so that they're not late to work, standing in hours-long lines with everyone else who waited until after the workday to cast their ballot, or simply not voting at all, many choose the latter. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off To look through the stats for voter turnout for other countries, you can visit the website for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and explore the data. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. 3. [12], The idea that voting should be a celebration, not a chore is one argument for turning Election Day into a national holiday, according to Archon Fung, PhD, and Jane Mansbridge, PhD, professors at the Harvard Kennedy School. Election Day should be a national holiday - The GW Hatchet Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party traditionally it is believed to help the Democrats at the expense of the other party, the GOP, said Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan political science professor. ", "National Electoral Code Article 53 and 148", Report of the 2014 National Lawyers Guild Bolivian Election Observation Delegation, Voting hours for elections in EU Member States, "The Parliamentary Electoral System in Denmark", Consultation Report on Review of Electoral Arrangements, "India Elects 2019: The World's Largest Election, Explained", "Six Nations match at the centre of row over election date - Independent.ie", "With full term possible, Netanyahu may outlast Ben-Gurion (and Obama)", Confessionalism and Electoral Reform in Lebanon, "Voters reminded not to reveal voting intention at Sunday's polling", "Malaysia's election on a Wednesday favors PM, opposition says", "Elections in Mexico and the US: Comparisons and contrasts", "Law on Election of Councillors and Members of Parliament", "Election Days General Elections 1853-2011", "The main features of the Norwegian electoral system", "Tribunal Electoral de Panam convoca a elecciones generales de 2024", "Peru Can Give U.S. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). The case for making Election Day an official holiday Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . Consider this: Even if Election Day were moved to a weekend or turned into a national holiday, retail and service industry employees would still need to work. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. [ 18][ 19] Con 1 / CBS News. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". Today in my country it is a national holiday as we celebrate the day Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. According to the Pew Research Center, of the thirty-six nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. is one of nine that votes on a week day, and one of seven that doesn't designate election day a national holiday. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. [1] The decision was made taking into account farmers, a large portion of the voting constituency at the time, who would not have been able to travel to polling places in winter months or during planting or harvest times. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Common reasons for a certain day are the date on which a state or country achieved its independence, or the date of the country's patron saint day. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. That too is a reminder as to how new many of the ideas from that century, such as full enfranchisement and national self-determination, really are. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. 14, 2019, BBC, "Singapore Election: Governing Party Secure Decisive Win, bbc.com, Sep. 12, 2015, Holly Jackson, "It's Time to Make Election Day a Holiday in Law and Spirit," washingtonpost.com, Oct. 22, 2018, BCP Associates, "India Elections 2019 - Declaration of Paid Holiday on Polling Day, bcpassociates.com, Apr. No: Too Inconvenient, Early-Voting Options Ample, orlandosentinel.com, Nov. 5, 2018, Henry Farber, "Increasing Voter Turnout: Is Democracy Day the Answer?, princeton.edu, Feb. 2009, Sarah Issenberg, "The Mystery of the Puerto Rico Voter, slate.com, Jan. 27, 2012, Paul LeBlanc, "Virginia Governor Makes Election Day a Holiday and Expands Early Voting,". [15] A survey showed that US adults would rather have a federal holiday on Election Day than on Christmas Eve, the Friday after Thanksgiving, or St. Patricks day. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. Election day - Wikipedia Elections are federal holidays in Singapore, which, when combined with mandatory voting, resulted in a voter turnout of 93.6% for the 2015 election of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Patriotic Holidays | National Archives Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. 3 Countries Where It's Easier To Vote Than the United States Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Managing Editor First Sunday of October. In fact, these voters may be more likely to have to work as a result of a federal election holiday, where they may have had time off previously on a random Tuesday in November. "With the variety of challenges that election officials face, [making Election Day a holiday] is well down on the list of those things that need to be addressed," Becker said. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Do you think it's time for the US to follow their lead? ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. For other uses, see. And the empire has been pretty consistently breaking apart over the last half century Scotland is maybe next so it's not like there is a national unification to celebrate. This year, Election . Of the nonvoters surveyed by the US Census Bureau about the 2008 presidential election, the 2012 presidential election, and numerous other elections, the most commonly cited reason for not voting was being too busy or having conflicting work schedules. It's Time to Make Election Day a National Holiday (Once - HuffPost I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Voting Around the World - Home | CultureReady A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. List of national independence days - Wikipedia Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. So, workers having a day off to vote wouldn't be a disruption to the economy, or anything a citizen of our country could deny would be worthwhile and smart thing to do. Lists national days around the world by country or date. Estonia is the only country to fully adopt online voting, but other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and Norway, have looked into pursuing it as an option in the future. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. But it is not a federal holiday. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Make election day a national holiday : r/WhitePeopleTwitter - reddit "Election Day really definitely does need to be a holiday," she said, adding, "We need to be able to have everybody feel like they have a great stake in it.". Newsweek subscription offers > "For example, Australia typically has a turnout in the 90 percent or more range, and other nations such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico achieve. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Why are other countries better at conducting elections than we are? There are some exceptions; as Wednesday was not covered by the available dates, the Netherlands holds elections on Thursday, while Denmark holds elections on Sunday.
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